São Polo Grand Prix – Sprint race: Valtteri Bottas as a conqueror!

This is the third sprint race of the year. Max Verstappen starts in first place ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

Lewis Hamilton is the big absentee from this front row. He has just been disqualified from yesterday’s qualifying, his rear wing not being compliant. He starts dead last.

Different pneumatic strategies

For this sprint qualification, there are no rules regarding the use of Pirelli tires.

Almost all teams have one driver on soft tires and a second one on medium tires.

At Mercedes, the goal is to get Bottas in the lead right from the first corner. He is on the red tire compound. As for his teammate, he is on soft tires and takes his time to settle on the starting grid. This effectively cools down Max Verstappen’s yellow tires.

Max Verstappen shaken up at the start

The strategy deployed by Mercedes is working. Bottas makes a perfect start and takes the lead.

Just behind Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz is overtaking, also making a superb start.

The two drivers nearly collide, with the Spaniard pushing the Dutchman to go off the track to avoid contact.

After three corners, Max Verstappen is third, while Hamilton has already overtaken four competitors.

The big disappointment comes from Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman completely misses his start and finds himself in seventh place.

A very lively start to the race

From the second lap, in the S of Senna, the Alfa drivers collide and it’s Räikkönen who pays the price. He spins and finds himself in last place.

Very quickly, Max Verstappen can activate his DRS, allowing him to get rid of Sainz who does not give him much room to pass.

On his side, Hamilton must navigate between an aggressive strategy to climb as high as possible, and avoiding collisions with his rivals. On the 12th lap, he is in 11th place, but his climb becomes more complicated when he catches up to faster cars, starting with Ricciardo’s McLaren.

A race finish where the soft tire takes the lead

Red Bull car number 33 manages to catch up with Mercedes car number 77. With 8 laps to go, there is only one second between the two competitors. However, Verstappen is unable to get close enough to the Finnish driver. He concedes the victory to him.

Hamilton’s comeback is spectacular. He leaves no chance for the other drivers when overtaking them.

The two Ferraris have opted for an aggressive strategy to maintain their 3rd and 6th positions, with rather dangerous defensive moves.

At the end of the race, despite a worn out tire, Sainz was able to hold off Perez’s comeback. Leclerc could not resist the assault of a unleashed Lewis Hamilton.

The British driver secures Norris’ scalp at the start of the last lap with a superb overtaking. He then climbs up to fifth place and will start tenth following the penalty received for an engine change.

The race results